Machine for dressing rough surfaces



R. W. BRIGGS 2,153,609

MACHINE FOR DRESSING ROUGH SURFACES Filed Dec. 2l, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet l I ll April 11, 1939.

gmc/Mom j fil/JB riffs www INMWMHHI MACHINE FOR DRESSING ROUGH SURFACES Filed Dec. l2l. 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet April 11, 1939- R. w. BRIGGS `2,153,609

MACHINE FOR DRESSING ROUGH SURFACES Filed Dec. 2l, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 R. W. BRIGGS MACHINE FOR DRESSING ROUGH sURFACEs Filed Dec. 2l. 1957 April l1, 1939.

M4N, w

rz'jus Patented Apr. 11, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,153,609 MACHNE FoaDREssING ROUGH SURF ACES

claims.l

This invention relates to machines for the purpose of dressing or fine grading the rough surfaces of roadways, ditches, channels 'or the like, and the general object of the invention is to provide mechanism whereby the surface of a road- Way or the like may be Vgiven an accurate and smooth'surface which is either complete in itself or which may be used for further finishing or fine dressing.

Another object is to provide a dressing machine, including a cylinder or shaft carrying projecting cutting members and rotated by power, and provide means whereby the frame supporting this shaft or cylinder may be shifted in opposite directions across a roadway or other surface.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my mechanism as applied to smoothing the surface of a cut or channel;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the dressing machine itself, the rails of the track being shown in section;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the dressing mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of a modified form of surface dressing machine, the figure being comparable to Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary top plan View of one end of the dressing machine shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an elevation showing a modification in one of the details of the machine shown in Fig. 6.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, I 0 designates a pair of rails or templates constituting a ltrack and extending from one side of the vchannel to the other and depressed to fit the crosssectional shape of the channel. As illustrated, these rails I0 are held in place by angle irons II I attached to the confronting edges of longitudinally extending boards I2 held in place on the shoulders I3 of the ditch or channel by means of stakes I 4 disposed at intervals inthe shoulder and attached to the outer edge of each board I2. Previous to the positioning of the supporting boards I2, stakes I5 are driven into the earth of the shoulder I3 to form a solid support in the nature of piles upon which the boards may rest.

Disposed on opposite sides of the channel 4outwardof the shoulders I3 are the winch supporting frames I6, the frame on one side of the channel being connected to the opposite frame by the transverse connecting members I'I. Each of these winch supporting frames supports a pair of Winches I8 having crank handles I9 whereby they may be operated. Cables are wrapped upon the drums of the Winches and are connected to the dressing or surfacing machine, as will be now described.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the surface dressing mechanism comprises two lateral frames 2I having the downwardly extending pairs of brackets 22 and 23. Supported in these brackets 22 and 23 is a longitudinally extending shaft 24. This shaft carries upon it .between the inner brackets 23, the cylindrical barrel or cylinder 25 which may be hollow or have any other particular form desired and which is provided on its surface with a plurality of outwardly extending teeth 26, as shown in Fig. 5, these teeth being preferably adjustable radially on this Vdrum or barrel 25. I have illustrated screw-threaded teeth for this purpose, but it is to .be understood that any other means of adjustment might be used. As illustrated, these teeth are arranged in spiral formation but it is to be understood that the teeth may be arranged in any desired formation and that more or less teeth may be used as desired. Only a relatively few teeth have been illustrated in Fig. 3, but it is to be lunderstood that these teeth will be disposed relatively close together. l

Between the brackets 22 and 23 are disposed the rollers 21, which are loose upon the shaft 24. These rollers bear against the rails I0, as shown in Fig. 3, and the rollers are sufiiciently long to permit a limited longitudinal movement of the frame supporting the shaft 24 with relation to these rails. The frames 2| are connected by a cross-bar 28, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, but again it is to `be understood that the particular form of the carriage constituted `by the members 2l, 22, 23 and 28 4may be of any suitable form. Mounted upon the frame members 2| .are .the two motors 29 ,disclosedas,electricmotois Each motor has ashaft 30 and each motor shaft carries a sprocket wheel 3I over which a `Sprocket chain 32 is trained, vwhich engages with a sprocket Wheel 33 mounted upon the adjacent extremity of the shaft 24, thus both ends of the shaftj24 are driven by electric motors. These motors are reversible motors, and for the purpose of closing or opening a circuit through these motors and reversing the current through the motors, a switch is to be pro-V vided such as the switch 34, shown in Fig. 4, the

switch blade 34 being movable into engagement with either contact 35 or 36 or into a position out of engagement withrboth of said contacts, thus power may be applied to rotate the shaft 24 in either direction or cut olf power to the shaft as desired.

The cables 20 extending from the winches I8 are connected, as shown, to eyes formed on the brackets 22, as illustrated in Fig. 4. Thus by winding up on one pair of Winches and slacken ing up on the other pair of Winches, the dressing machine may be shifted along the tracks lil either continuously or intermittently as desired, so as to traverse the entire surface to be dressed. For the purpose of manually controlling the action of the machine, I provide at each end of the carriage a pair of handles 31, the handles being disposed in divergent relation, as shown in Fig. 1, and extending outwardly and upwardly into such position that they may be conveniently handled. Of course, current is supplied to the motors 29 by means of a flexible cable 38, this cable extending to a movable generating plant. As the rotating `cylinder or drum 25 is operated at a rapid speed,

the cutting teeth 26 come in contact with the surface, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, cutting away protuberances, leaving the surface in a smooth and finished condition. As the machine is moved along the rails l0, it is held at the handles 31 by the operators until the full cut is accomplished. An operator then reverses the switch 34, causing the motors to reverse and the machine is again operated to the place of beginning.

While I have illustrated this structure as being applied to the surface of a channel or ditch, it is to be understood that it may be used for surfacing roadways or smoothing or dressing other surfaces and that, of course, the rails I9 will have a shape necessitated by the contour of the surface over which the machine is operated.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated a modified form of the structure disclosed in Fig. 2, in which the mechanism is so constructed that it may be readily moved from point to point longitudinally along a channel whose surface is being leveled or evened. In Fig. 6, 39 designates the rails which extend down into the channel. There are two of these rails as is true of the rails l in Fig. 1. Attached to each of these rails at the points 40 are the uprights 4I, these uprights being vertically slotted at 42. Extending across the uprights 4| is a transverse bar 43 which is longi tudinally slotted adjacent its opposite ends, as at 44. Adapted to be supported upon shoulders 45 on each side of the channel being dressed are carriages, each carriage including rollers or wheels 46 resting upon the shoulders 45. Supported above each wheel is a block 41 shown in Fig. 6 as being supported from the axle 48 of each wheel by means of the irons 49. Disposed upon the top of this block 41 is a plate 50 having a central boss l and this plate and the boss are internally screw-threaded for engagement by the lower end of a screw 52. This screw has an intermediate hand wheel 53 and below this hand wheel, the screw has threads of one hand while above the Wheel, the threads are of a reverse hand. The block 41 is bored out or hollow to receive the lower end of the screw 52. Mounted upon the upper end of the screw is a block 54 and sup'- porting this block is a plate 55 having a central boss, this plate and its boss being interiorly screw-threaded for engagement with the upper portion of the screw 52 and the block 54 is hollow or formed with a bore to receive the upper portion of the screw 52. The screw extends upward through a brace 55 and upward through the crosspiece 43 and through a plate 56. The brace 55, as will be seen from Figs. 6 and 7, extends longitudinally beneath the two rods 43, that is, it extends at right angles to these bars or rods 43 but longitudinally of the shoulders 45. Mounted on each of the carriages and specifically upon each block 54, is a winding drum 51. This winding drum is provided with a crank 58 and with a ratchet wheel 59. A pawl 6U is mounted on the corresponding cross-bar 43 for engagement with the ratchet teeth of the drum. The vertical supporting bars 4I and the transverse bars 43 are connected to each other by bolts 6l extending through the slots 42 and 44, as shown in Fig. 6. The surfacing machine illustrated in Fig. 6 is of exactly the same character as the surfacing machine shown in Fig. 2 and, therefore, the same numerals have been used in referring to the several parts and no1 additional description is necessary of the surfacing machine shown in Fig. 6. While I have illustrated the supporting bars 4l and the cross bars 43 as being connected by the bolts 6I, I do not wish to be limited to this as other means of securing this adjustment might be provided. For instance, in` Fig. 8, I show the cross bar 43 as carrying a slide 62. Mounted upon this slide is a pinion 63. The corresponding vertical member 42 is provided preferably on both edges with the rack teeth 64 and the teeth on the pinion 63 engage these rack teeth. An idler wheel 65 engages the teeth on the opposite side of the support 42 and a pawl 66 is arranged to engage the rack teeth 64 so as to hold the vertical bar or support 42 in any desired raised or lowered position with relation to the transverse bar 43. The slide 62 is held in adjusted position upon the bar 43 by means of the bolts 61 which extend through the slot 44 of the cross bar. By loosening these bolts, the slide may be shifted longitudinally along the cross bar toany desired position, then the bolts may be tightened to hold the slide in its adjusted position and the vertical bars 42 may be raised or lowered, thus raising or lowering the rails 39 upon which the dressing machine operates. By adjusting the cross bars 43 by the screws 52 and by correspondingly adjusting the vertical bars 42, the rails 39 may be disposed at any desired distance below the cross bars 43. Whenever it is desired to move the tracks 39 so that a new surface area may be dressed, it is only necessary to revolve the winding drums 51 in opposite directions which acts to raise the cables 20 and lift the entire machine into the air. The dogs 69 then hold the drums with the parts raised and the machine can be shifted. Then the mechanism may be shifted along the length of the channel or other surface being operated on to a new position and again lowered. It is also possible with this construction to shift the tracks 39 laterally to any desired position with relation to the shoulders 45, so that the tracks may be disposed accurately in the bottom of the channel being surfaced. Obviously for different shapes of channel, different tracks or templates 39 will be provided and equally obviously, one end of a track 39 may be raised higher than the opposite end if desired. With this construction, many different adjustments to suit the surface being .treated may be made.

Y It is, of course, to be understood that there are two of these tracks at `opposite ends of the dressing machine, that there are two of these cross bars 43 and two vertical lbars 4l for each cross bar.` This is indicated in Fig. '7. v

The operation ofthis -mechanism is precisely the same as that previously described. The winding Adrums are operated 4by two operators, one at each drum, lwho move the machine backward and forward. Two operators also guide the machine by means o-f the handles 31 and, of course, one of these operators can contro-l the switch operating .the motor. Transverse travel for either the ma.- chine shown in Fig. l or that shown in Fig. 6 is 4securedby lthe winding Aup 'of one pair of cables `and the payingout of the 4opposite-pair of cables. Four operators will be necessary then to control the Winding `slr-mns with two operators at the handles -of the machine. The two last-named operators are necessary in order that the vertical plane of the machine may be maintained at all times rnormal to `the surface that is to be subgraded. In Fig. 3, the rollers 21 are shown as considerab-ly longer than the width of the track as it has been found in operation necessary to provide a slight lateral movement across the tracks Il) in order to overcome any binding that might-occur in the event that the tracks `lll were -not'set exactly in `a vertical plane.

What `is claimed is:

1. A surface dressing machine, including spaced rails `conforming in contour to the contour of the surface Ato be dressed, acarriage having supporting -rollers engaging said rails, a rotatable shaft mounted upon the carriage, a'cylindrical dressing element mounted upon Athe shaft and extending 'betWeenthe rails and provided with radially projecting 'radially adjustable teeth, two reversible electric motors mounted `upon the carriage, the motors being operatively geared with the shaft to drive the latter, manually operable means for Acontrolling the passage of current `through said motors, and manually operated. means for shifting the carriage along the Arails in either direction.

2. A surface dressing machine, including spaced rails conforming in contour tothe contour of the surface to be dressed, a carriage having supporting rollers engaging said rails, a rotatable shaft 'mounted upon the carriage, a cylindrical dressing 'element 4mounted upon the shaft and extending between the rails and provided with radially projecting radially adjustable teeth, two reversible electric motors mounted upon the carriage, the motors `being operatively geared with the shaft to 'drive thelatter, manually operable means for controlling the passage of current through said motors, and manually operated means for shifting Athe carriage along `the rails in either direction, and including two pairs of oppositely disposed winches and cables extending from the Winches and operatively connected to the endsof the carriage, the cables extending longitudinally of the rails.

3. A surface dressing mechanism, including spaced rails conforming in contour to the contour of the surface to be dressed and resting thereon, a carriage having depending brackets, a shaft extending through the brackets, rollers on the end portions of the shaft engaging with the rails, a cylindrical dressing element mounted upon the shaft intermediate of said brackets, and having a length equal to the distance between the brackets, the dressing element being provided with radially projecting surface engaging teeth, electric motorsv mounted upon the carriage, one at each end thereof, operative driving connections between each electric motor and the corresponding end of the shaft, lmeans for ycontrolling the supply and direction of Vcurrent 'to the motors, two pairs of Winches disposed with a pair oneach side of the surface 'to be acted upon, leach winch being disposed opposite one end of the carriage, and cables connected to said Winches and connected to theends of the carriage, the carriage being provided with handles lprojecting outward from each-end of the carriage.

4l A surface dressing mechanism, including spaced rails `conforming in contour to the contour of the surface to be dressed, a carriage having a pair of depending brackets at each end, a bracing element extending from one end of the carriage to the other, a shaft mounted in the depending brackets, rollers rotatable freely upon the shaft, disposed betweeneach pair of brackets and engageable with said rails, a cylindrical surface dressing element mounted upon the shaft for rotation therewith, `a pair of electric vmotors mounted upon the carriage at each end thereof, operative driving connections vbetween the motors and the opposite ends of the shaft, means for controllingthe supply of current to the motors and the direction of current therethrough, land manually operated means for shifting the carriage along the rails in either direction.

5. A -surface dressing mechanism, including a horizontally elongated carriage having a horizontally elongated surface dressing means thereon, a motor on the carriage having-driving connection with the dressing means, and means for shifting the carriage transversely of .its length, including opposed pairs of winding drums and cables connected to the ends of the carriage.

6. A surface dressing mechanism, including a pair of rails extending transversely of the surface being dressed, an elongated motor operateddressing machine'operated on said rails, winding drum supports disposed on opposite sides of the surface being dressed at each end of the dressing machine, and a pair of winding drums on each support, the drums having cables extending from the drums to the corresponding ends of the dressing machine.

'7. A surface dressing mechanism, including `a pair of rails extending transversely of the surface to be dressed resting on said surface and 'having a contour'the same as the proposed contour of the surface, a motor operated elongated carriage movable on the rails, an elongated surface dressing element mounted on the carriage, a pair of supporting carriages disposed exteriorly of the ends of the rails and having supporting rollers, a pair of rotatable elevating screws mounted on each'last-namedcarriage, a pairof threaded elements on each carriage with which the screws engage and adapted to be raised or lowered by the rotation of the screws, winding drums on each element, and cables extending from each winding drum to the corresponding ends of the dressing machine.

8. A sub-grade surface dressing mechanism, including-a pair of rails extending transversely of the surface to be dressed, uprights mounted at opposite ends of each rail, cross bars mounted on the uprights for vertical and transverse adjustment, wheeled supports at opposite ends of the cross bar and having means whereby the cross bars may be raised or lowered, a pair of winding drums on each support, a surface dressing machine operating on the rails, and cables connected to opposite ends of the dressing machine and wound upon said drums.

9. A sub-grade surface dressing mechanism as in claim 8, further characterized by` the drums having ratchet wheels and pawls associated therewith.

10. A sub-grade surface dressing mechanism including a pair of rails extending transversely of the surface to be dressed, uprights'mounted at opposite ends of each rail, cross bars mounted for vertical and transverse adjustment on the uprights, a wheel support at opposite ends of each cross bar, vertical screws mounted upon each support, an element engaged by the upper end of each screw and raised or lowered Yby a rotation of the screw, winding drums carried upon each element, pawls associated therewith, a surface dressing machine operating over said rails, and cables passing from said winding drums and connected to opposite ends of the dressing machine.

l1. A sub-grade surface dressing mechanism as in claim 10, in which the uprights have rack teeth and the cross bars have manually operable pinions -engaging with the rack teeth, and pawls engaging said pinions whereby to secure vertical adjustment of the' cross bars upon the uprights.

12. A sub-grade surface dressing mechanism, including a pair of rails extending transversely of the surface to be dressed, uprights connected at their lower ends to opposite ends of each rail, a pair of cross bars disposed above the rails and mounted for vertical and transverse adjustment on the uprights, a pair of connected wheeled supports, each support being disposed approximately beneath opposite ends of the cross bars, a reversely threaded vertical screw carried by each of said supports and having threaded engagement with the support, an element having threaded engagement with the upper end of each of said threaded screws, winding drums carried upon each of said elements, a surface dressing machine operating over said rails, cables extending from the winding drums to opposite ends of the surface dressing machine whereby the machine may be shifted on the rails transversely of the surface being dressed, pawls associated with the Winding drums, and manipulating handles disposed at opposite ends of the dressing machine.

13. A surface dressing machine, including spaced parallel rails constituting templates and having a contour the same as the proposed contour of the surface tobe dressed, the rails extending transversely of the length of said surface, a carriage extending transversely of the rails and having rollers bearing directly thereon, a motor operated surface dressing element mounted on thecarriage and extending transversely of the rails and axially rotatable in a vertical plane, Wheeled supporting members mounted adjacent the opposite ends of the rails and adapted to rest on the lateral shoulders of the surface being dressed, and means associated with the wheeled supports and carried thereby constructed and arranged to shift the carriage back and forth over said tracks.

14. A surface dressing machine, including spaced parallel rails constituting templates and having a contour the same as the proposed contour of the surface to be dressed, the rails extending transversely of the length of said surface, a carriage extending transversely of the rails and having rollers bearing directly thereon, a motor operated surface dressing element mounted on the carriage and extending transversely of the rails and axially rotatable in a vertical plane, wheeled supporting membersA mounted adjacent the opposite ends of the rails and adapted to rest on the lateral shoulders of the surface being dressed, means associated with the Wheeled supports and carried thereby constructed and arranged to shift the carriage back and forth over said tracks, and means associated with said wheeled supports for raising or lowering the track.

15. A surface dressing machine, including spaced parallel rails adapted to be disposed trans Versely of the length of the surface being operated on and constituting templates, said rails having a contour the same as the proposed contour of said surface, a carriage extending transversely of the rails and having rollers bearing for raising or lowering said transverse bars, vertical bars operatively connected toV the transverse bars and to the ends of the rails, means for adjusting said vertical bars inward or outward on the first-named bars, means for adjusting the vertical bars vertically, and a pair of Winding drums mounted on each support and having d cables connected to adjacent ends of the carriage whereby the carriage may be shifted backward and forward along the rails.

ROBERT WEBB BRIGGS. 

